Left: Map of the Kingdom of Jaffnapatnum by Phillipus Baldaeus 1672 AD
Right: Map by Sieur Sansen 1652 AD showing nine principalities including Imperio de Cota (Imperial Kotte)
Kingdom of Jaffnapatnum
"Traditional Homelands" The Verdict of Cartographic History
The following is an extract from an article published by A. Denis. N. Fernando, Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences and Recipient of the 11th RAS medal.
The idea of "traditional homelands of the Tamil speaking people" is based on the argument that the Northern Province and Eastern Province in their entireties were occupied by Tamil people for very long periods, if not throughout history: and that therefore these areas are theirs by right and that they had a distinct and separate political identity from the rest of the country. This concept is being repeated so often, and even the newspapers have ceased to refer to a "Northern Province" and an "Eastern Province" and now talk of a "North East"; that by such repetition they are tending to be accepted as incontestable facts. Goebells was the master of the art of repeating lies often enough to have them eventually accepted as truths CYPRIANO SANCHEZ (c 1560 AD) rendered during the Portuguese era indicates that there were nine principalities in Sri Lanka with only one of them indicated as "emperor"- Imperio de Cota or Emperor of Kotte. These nine principalities were; Imperio de Cota (Imperial King of Kotte), Reino de Ceitaabaca (Ruler of Sitawaka), Reino de Candea (Ruler of Kandy), Reino de Jaffnapatnum (Ruler of Jaffna), Reino de Setra Coralas (Ruler of Seven Korales), Chilao Reino (Ruler of Chilaw), Reino de Triquilemale (Ruler of Trincomalee), Reino de Baticalou (Ruler of Batticaloa, Reino de Yala (Ruler of Yala).
Map by Sieur Sansen 1652 AD showing nine principalities including Imperio de Cota (Imperial Kotte)
This map is supported by the French Cartographer Sieur Sansen's map of 1652. Reference is also made to the writings of Joannes Hugo Linschoten of Netherlands (c 1750) who relates his voyage to the portuguese Indies with the Bishop of Goa where he too states that there were nine principalities in Ceylon, the most powerful king being Cota (Kotte) to which annual tribute was paid by the others who are named as Janasapitan (Jaffna), Trinquinamale, Batecalon, Villassen (Wellassa), Tenanaka (Denawaka), Laula (Yala), Cande and Galle.
The first detailed map of Jaffna Principality and adjacent islands was that of Rev. Phillipus Baldeas (1672) (first map shown at begining) is clear that the Kingdom of Jaffna did not extend to the mainland, but was confined to the Peninsula and the islands.
Peninsular Jaffna came into prominence with the break up of the Vijayanagara Empire, especially after the downfall of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom. Remnants of the armies of the South Indian invaders settled down in Jaffna and the Vavunia area in particular.
With the introduction of Tobacco by the Portuguese, economic prosperity came to the North. The encouragement given by the Portuguese and the Dutch to small holders to grow tobacco brought in large numbers of entrepreneurs, who mainly came from the Coromandel coast and settled in Peninsular Jaffna. They brought with them their familiar technology of the well and the shadaff, using slaves to draw water into the fields. This was the time when the population of Jaffna grew rapidly. It has been recorded by Percival (1805) in his book "An account of the island of Ceylon" and by others that there were more foreigners in Jaffna than the people who were native to Jaffna. These "foreigners" were those who came from the Coromandel to grow tobacco. The legacy of the tobacco boom in Jaffna is reflected in the 80,000 odd wells that have been used and are still being used for irrigation.
Dutch Admiral Jois van Spilberge landed at Batticaloa in 1602 and he had to visit the Court of Kandy through Mahiyangana and Madamahanuwara to meet King Wimala Dharma Suriya to discuss political relationships. He did not go to the court of Jaffna even if there was one then. Likewise a few years later Robert Knox who landed at Koddiyar Bay (Trincomalee) was taken prisoner by the dissawa of Tambulegam (who was under the suzeeiainty of Kandy) and brought to the court of Kandy.
Another mission that landed at Trincomalee was that of the French under Admiral de la Haige in March, 1672, when the French envoy Capt. Nanclair de Lanerolle was sent to Kandy, who was clapped in jail by the King for being arrogant in the Kings presence and who later settled down in Kandy.
The British mission of John Pybus went from Trincomalee to the court of Kandy in 1762.
All this and other evidence proves that it was the Kingdom of Kandy that ruled over the Eastern Province and that the Kingdom of Jaffnapatnum was restricted to the Jaffna peninsula and the islands, and paid tribute to the more powerful rulers of Kotte and then Kandy.
The territorial claims of the Tamil Terrorist's to parts of the East and West have no historical basis. Therefore they say that parts of the East and the West are" Home Lands" because Tamil speaking people live in these areas. This definition would also include the Tamil suburbs of Colombo, London, Paris etc.
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